When they used to say that they were juicing the baseballs in MLB games, I would typically reply: “So what? How big of an impact could that possibly make?” Well, looking at this slow-motion GIF of Miguel Cabrera hitting a ball, I can see that it would potentially make quite a lot.

Cabrera’s swing seems to flatten about 25 percent of the ball — I guess that accounts for the cushiony feeling you get when you really connect with one on the sweet spot (hey, I didn’t strike out every time).

This GIF shows Cabrera crushing his 28th home run of the season, in the first inning of Sunday’s game. Via Business Insider:

Fox Sports Ohio then produced a replay with their “Phantom Cam” which showed just how much the ball was deformed by contact with the bat.

The image is stunning because anybody that has ever held a baseball knows that they are so hard that the strongest of people would have a hard time altering it’s shape with their bare hands.

Check out the fan diving for the ball in the stands — what happens to the ball almost happened to his head. Full video here.